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I have a female petite basset hound who is 5 years old and approx. 40-45 pounds. I noticed swelling & puffiness about the size of a nickel in diameter (a puffy nickel) under both eyes. Her eyes look very similar to the link sent by Dr. Fiona 787 days ago in another post. My girl was also licking her lower stomach & between her legs, which is red and quite irritated. We recently moved to the south and she is still adjusting to the new climate. We do hve waps in the front yard and I think its possible that she may hve been stung. She had a bath this morning but I have been using the same shampoo for over a year without any problems. She does have outdoor allergies that cause a runny nose when she is ouside for more than an hour. The vet has given me the okay to give her 25-50mg of Benadryl PRN for her allergies. She is current on all shots, flea & heartworm meds & other than a bad disk in her back, has no other conditions. She has never experienced anything of this nature before! Her heart rate & breathing have been stable. I'm concerned about her airway closing so I immediately gave her 50 mg of Benadryl, which made her sleepy. She seems comfortable & does respond to my command of 'sit' in order to get her favorite treat. Should I contnue with Benadryl at home or take her to the vet? How long until I'm 'in the clear' & don't need to watch her breathing constantly? Thanks for your help in advance!!!!
Optional Information: Pet's Gender: Female Pet's Age: 5 Type of Animal: Canine-basset hound Already Tried: Rinsed both eyes with saline solution. Gave 50mg of Benadryl orally. Stopped her from licking irritated area by distracting her until she fell asleep from the Benadryl.
Hello. Thanks for writing in.
Are the swellings below the eyes painful?
Are there any sores, red bumps or general redness where she has been licking?
Per your request, I gently pressed on the swollen area below both eyes. She didn't yelp or make any other sound, but blinked/closed her eyes & after about 3 seconds she turned her head away from me. Her eyes have returned to their normal 'bassetness' other than the swelling underneath (her eyes are no longer bright red). As for her irritated stomach (at the base of her ribs), now that her typical irritation from contact with the grass has cleared up I am able to see a number of small red areas (approx. 8-10) that could be welts. There are a few spots like this between her legs as well & she continues to lick between her legs so this is red.I have attempted to locate stingers, but have not found any. Again, I didn't see her get stung nor did I see any wasps but I do know they have been all over the yard. It is my assumption that she was stung. I can send pics of her eyes & belly, if possible. She is acting 'normal' otherwise-going to her water bowl & jumped up onto the couch with me to sleep.
Thanks for the information. Sorry about the wait. It doesn't seem like an emergency situation to me at this point. It could be a reaction to an insect sting, but it could also be an allergy to something else in the environment. If she seems to be acting normally otherwise, I would continue with the Benedryl as prescribed by your vet. Getting a chlorhexidene based shampoo and bathing the ares with the irritation could help, but it is possible that she may have a secondary bacterial infection on the skin and required oral antibiotics. If the lesions haven't cleared up in 2-3 days, or she is getting worse at any time, I would have your vet evaluate her. I would be happy to look at the pictures if you can post them on your next message or post them to a picture sharing site and sending me the link. If you are having difficulties with posting the pictures, that is fine. I think I have a good idea of what the lesions look like. The only thing that it may change is if she possibly has tooth root abscesses on both sides of her mouth. These will create swellings under the eye, but they are usually firmer, may be sore or may drain. it is not common to have them on both sides, but I have seen it once before. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this helps.
Experience: Over 10 years of clinical veterinary experience
Could you recommend an OTC cream that I could put on her chest? She keeps scratching at it, which is making the irritation worse. Please let me know if I should be concerned with her licking off whatever you recommend, as she will likely try to do so!
Well, I would try a triple antibiotic ointment, like Neosporin first. If that doesn't work, then you can try a hydrocortisone ointment. If there is a deep enough, though, an ointment isn't going to be able to get to all of it. Neither should be toxic if she licks them, but there is a small chance they could cause some GI upset. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this helps.